At our September 12 Go Green Illinois meeting, we learned from Rachel Havrelock of the UIC Freshwater Lab about water reuse. The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, by total area. In the Chicago region, our drinking water comes from Lake Michigan, and water is sent out to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico after being used once. The Great Lakes Compact governs withdrawals from the Great Lakes basin, and we must be efficient with our water usage to avoid depleting the lakes. Dr. Havrelock has suggested ways in which water could be used more than once before being sent out of the Great Lakes Basin. Learn more about her work here.
